Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Mining Energy Consumption As A Function Of Ore Grade Decline: The Case Of Lead And Zinc, Ricardo Magdalena, Alicia Valero, Jose-Luis Palacios, Antonio Valero

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Demand for raw materials is increasing exponentially. To satisfy that demand, more minerals need to be mined from the Earth’s crust. As a result, minerals are being exhausted, and ore grades decline. Lower ore grade mines also mean more energy, which in turn entails fossil fuel emissions and more climate change. This paper estimates the specific energy for the beneficiation process of metals lead and zinc as case studies. The evaluation is performed with specialized software, HSC Chemistry which assesses the specific energy for every stage: comminution, flotation, and refining. Different scenarios have been established to simulate the behavior of …